A car crash in Antrim injured two people and closed State Route 202 for several hours on Wednesday.
A sedan headed southbound near Route 202 and Old Turnpike Road in Antrim hit a pickup truck from behind, causing the pickup truck to flip, according to Antrim Fire and Rescue.
“It appears that the driver of the sedan may have crossed the center line and struck the back of a pickup, which then caused the truck to flip end-over-end eight to ten times,” said Fire Chief Marshall Gale. “The truck did stay in the northbound lane and did end up back on its wheels.”
Gale said the driver of the sedan was wearing a seatbelt and that airbags were deployed.
“Seatbelts and airbags save lives and cut down on personal injury,” Gale said.
Antrim Fire and Rescue couldn’t confirm whether the driver and passenger of the pickup truck were wearing seatbelts, as a passing ambulance from another service arrived first and helped the occupants out of the vehicle.
“Another ambulance was passing by, and it was very, very lucky that they stopped and were able to help, because the pickup truck came to rest quite a ways from the sedan, and at first it was just two of us on the scene, trying to do 10 things at once,” Gale said. “We are very grateful for their help.”
Antrim also requested assistance from Hillsborough.
From initial reports of the accident, first responders feared the driver of the sedan was entrapped and called in the DHART, but the helicopter was canceled after the driver was able to crawl out of the vehicle on his own.
“There was no entrapment,” Gale said. “Upon our arrival, the driver of the sedan had self-extricated, and we found him lying on the shoulder. People had stopped to offer aid.”
The driver of the sedan was transported to Concord Hospital by Antrim Fire and Rescue, and the passenger in the truck was transported to the same by Hillsborough Ambulance. The driver of the truck refused treatment but rode to the hospital along with the passenger.
Gale said given the circumstances, the accident could have been a tragedy.
“It could have been so much worse if other vehicles were involved. It could have been a mass casualty, if not a fatality,” Gale said.
The Antrim Police Department is investigating the cause of the accident.
